English Explanatory Dictionary

daylight

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The natural light that is ambient in daytime, being mostly sunlight (both direct and indirect, on either sunny days or cloudy days).
  2. A light source that simulates daylight.
  3. The intensity distribution of light over the visible spectrum generated by the Sun under various conditions or by other light sources intended to simulate natural daylight.
  4. The period of time between sunrise and sunset.
  5. Daybreak.
  6. Exposure to public scrutiny.
  7. A clear, open space.
  8. The space between platens on a press or similar machinery.
  9. Emotional or psychological distance between people, or disagreement.
  10. Meaningful or noticeable difference or distinction between two things, especially concepts.
  11. The gap between the top of a drinking-glass and the level of drink it is filled with.
verb
  1. To expose to daylight
  2. To provide sources of natural illumination such as skylights or windows.
  3. To allow light in, as by opening drapes.
  4. To run a drainage pipe to an opening from which its contents can drain away naturally.
  5. To gain exposure to the open.
  6. To moonlight (work a second, often illicit job) during the daytime.

Pronunciation

/ˈdeɪlaɪt/ /ˈdeɪˌlaɪt/ En-us-daylight.ogg En-au-daylight.ogg

Word forms

daylight daylights day-light daylighting daylighted daylit

Etymology

From Middle English daye-lighte, dey liȝht, dailiȝt, day-liht, dai-liht (also as days lyȝt, daies liht), equivalent to day + light. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Deegeslucht, Daisljoacht (“daylight”), West Frisian deiljocht (“daylight”), Dutch daglicht (“daylight”), German Tageslicht (“daylight”).

Synonyms

sunlight sunshine daytime day daylight daylength photoperiod sunrise dayspring dawn ass crack of dawn break break of dawn break of day butt crack of dawn cockcrow crack of dawn daybreak first light lauds solrise sparrow-fart sun sunrising sunup

Antonyms

night darkness

Related words

sunlight is the best disinfectant sunshine law dawn sunrise sunset

Derived words

beat the daylight out of broad daylight burn daylight create daylight between oneself and someone daylight factory daylight overdraft daylight robbery daylight saving daylight savings daylight-savings time daylight savings time daylight saving time daylight-saving time daylight standard time daylight time in broad daylight knock the daylight out of multidaylight open daylight predaylight put daylight between oneself and someone

Translations

Finnish: välys
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